1. Field
This disclosure generally relates to the field of computer systems. More particularly, the disclosure relates to social networking.
2. General Background
Some social networking systems allow players to interact with each other to play online games. For example, users may remotely collaborate in playing an online game. An online game involves a set of rules according to which a player interacts with a computerized system and/or another player. The player is typically challenged during the online game to perform a task. Player interactions that take place in a game context are different from many other types of interactions (e.g., commercial transactions, email communications, emergency notifications and the like) in that games may tolerate uncertain or unreliable message delivery, delayed message delivery, and the like. It is believed that improvements in conventional messaging systems are needed to better support the gaming environment.
Separately, some live action role-playing (“LARP”) experiences allow players to role-play in a role-play game in the physical world. As an example, an amusement park may provide a role-play experience that includes performers interacting with guests throughout different locations in the amusement park. Guests may want to interact with others such as their friends who are not present in the physical role-play game so that those friends may also enjoy the role-pay game experience. Conventional messaging systems are designed primarily for reliable, asynchronous communication and as such are not adapted for casual, substantially synchronous interaction that would be desirable in a role-play game. For example, friends of the role-play game participants may not be available to provide input at the time that the role-play game participants are playing the role-play game in the physical world. Accordingly, the role-play game participant may send a message that may not be read until the role-play game participant has progressed through later parts of the role-play game or possibly even finished the role-play game. It is believed that improvements in conventional messaging systems are needed to better support LARP experiences.